Category / Outstanding Read

Rating of 5 stars!

by mvbookreviewer

Review: All Jacked Up by Lorelei James

Format: E-book
Read with: Amazon Kindle
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Rough Riders, Book 8
Publisher: Samhain
Hero: Jack Donohue
Heroine: Keely McKay
Date of Publication: November 3, 2009
Started On: January 5, 2010
Finished On: January 7, 2010

This is the first book ever that I tried out of this author. This book is one sure red hot read that the author pulls off quite nicely. I think this is the last book released of the rough riders series and features the lone girl in the McKay family. Keely who wants to earn her own place in their close knit society rather than been remembered as a hell raiser when she was younger.

Jack, best friend of one of Keely’s brother, had always seemed to rub her the wrong way. Whenever Jack and Keely are in the same room, they manage to insult one another to no end. One hot kiss that Jack and Keely shared at one of her brother’s weddings didn’t seem to make things any better.

Now two years later, Keely needs Jack’s help in finalizing her efforts to start her own rehabilitative clinic and Jack needs Keely to act as his fiancé to pull off a business deal which Jack wants so badly, bad enough to want to pretend to be engaged to Keely and take on being part of the McKay clan.

Although their passion could singe away the bedsheets, out of the bedroom they tend to be as divided as ever. And both of them do not realize that with each moment they spend together inevitably leads them to fall in love with another, a love which they both need to realize is way more important than anything else in their lives.

A very hot read guaranteed to sizzle up your insides ladies!

Purchase Links: Amazon | Half.com | Barnes&Noble

outstandingread

 

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Texas! Chase by Sandra Brown

Format: E-booktexaschase
Read with: Adobe Reader
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Texas!, Book 2
Publisher: Bantam
Hero: Chase Tyler
Heroine: Marcie Jones
Date of Publication: August 1, 1991
Started On: December 26, 2009
Finished On: December 27, 2009

This book is Sandra Brown at her best.

The Texas! series features the Tyler family. The first book focuses on Lucky, the second book being this one and third book is the story of their younger sister Sage Tyler. All three books provide unforgettable romance with searing passion. I read this book quite sometime back and remembered it to be my favorite. I always tend to love a romance which has a previous history linking the hero and heroine in some manner whether it be romantic or otherwise.

Marcie Jones nicknamed Goosey for being nerdy during the years of high school which she shared with Chase and had a major crush on him, is now a successful real estate agent having amassed quite a fortune with her work. She meets Tanya, Chase’s beloved wife, when they seek to buy a house for themselves before their baby comes along. On the way back from viewing the house Marcie was sure would make a lovely home for Tanya and Chase, a senseless accident kills the pregnant Tanya and leaves Marcie with serious but not life threatening injuries. Chase’s world is shattered when in a day’s time he loses his beloved wife and their child who had not even had the chance to breathe into this world.

Two years later, Marcie encounters Chase at a rodeo where he nearly gets himself killed on the arena. Marcie stays with him during his brief time at the hospital and finally brings Chase back home since the accident. Whilst Chase has been away immersing himself in alcohol and whoring, their family business Tyler Drilling had gone under and things look really bad for them until Marcie proposes that Chase marry her in order for her to help bail out their business. The idea seems ridiculous to Chase at first but soon he makes up his mind to go along with the marriage even though Chase’s family doesn’t feel too comfortable about the decision.

Marcie has her work cut out for her in a marriage where she has to fight with Chase every step of the way to gain his trust, affection and love. Chase determined not to betray the memory of his loving wife doesn’t want to acknowledge the intense feelings that Marcie is able to invoke in him and this ultimate battle of wills proves to be a scorching read. Loved every minute of the sexual tension between the two characters hot enough to scorch the memory chips of my laptop.

Loved every bit of the novel. Highly recommended to anyone who loves a good dose of romance packed with a brooding hero who I guarantee you would make your hearts go aflutter.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | AbeBooks | Half.com

outstandingread

 

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Nobody’s Baby But Mine by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Format: E-book
Read with: Adobe Reader
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Chicago Stars, Book 3
Publisher: Avon
Hero: Cal Bonner
Heroine: Dr. Jane Darlington
Date of Publication:February 1, 1997
Started On: December 22, 2009
Finished On: December 25, 2009

Dr. Jane Darlington may be a brilliant physics scientist but she doesn’t really have a clue about what life is all about. Growing up alone with a father, who didn’t know what to do with such a brilliant child with no love lost between father and daughter, all Dr. Jane yearns for is a child of her own, whom she would protect with every fiber of her being, so that mockery & isolation from fellow peers is not the only thing her child would know in life. The only problem for Dr. Jane is finding a suitable candidate to father her child, someone who is dumb enough to compensate for her brilliance so that their child would not be labelled a ‘freak’. By a twist of fate, Dr. Jane meets with Jodie, one of the groupies that were forever after the Chicago Stars, who had been assigned the task of finding a high class prostitute as a birthday present for Cal Bonner.

Someone whose career in football is about to end, Cal Bonner doesn’t do commitment well. Afraid of acknowledging the fact that his high profile career is about to end, Cal doesn’t want or need anyone tying him down. Jodie finds the suitable candidate to pose as Cal’s birthday present from the team members when she meets Dr. Jane and quite by chance finds Dr. Jane fascinated with Cal Bonner thinking him to be a dumb jock, a highly suitable candidate to father her child.

Thus begins the highly entertaining story of how Cal finds himself with a woman who is able to give as good as she gets, someone who has an uncanny understanding of himself, and someone who could really get under his skin if he ain’t careful about it. Finding out that Dr. Jane tricked him into getting herself pregnant with his child, when he wasn’t ready at all for such a thing, pushes Cal over the edge and demands Dr. Jane to marry him and vows he would destroy Jane for tricking him and cheating him out of what he wants in life.

Throw in the highly unusual members of Cal’s family and you have got on your hands one hell of an enjoyable romance. I loved every bit of Cal’s and Jane’s encounters filled with moments of laughter, uncertainty, scorching passion and unbeatable romance with a great happy ending at the end. Highly recommended!

Purchase Links: BooksOnBoard | Amazon | Barnes&Noble

outstandingread

 

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Marriage on the Rebound by Michelle Reid

Format: E-book
Read With: MS Word 2007
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Harlequin Presents, Book 1973
Publisher: Harlequin
Hero: Rafe Denvers
Heroine: Shaan Saketa
Date of Publication: November 7, 1997
Started On: December 18, 2009
Finished On: December 18, 2009

This book has all the ingredients that make a Harlequin romance a good one. This was the book that introduced me to this author and though I have read 2 or 3 books of hers afterwards, this book has stayed with me as a special love story which is why I went ahead and re-read the story all over again.

Shaan Saketa is jilted by Pier Denver, Rafe’s stepbrother on the day of their marriage. Rafe moves in to take Pier’s place and offers himself up as the bridegroom to salvage a situation Shaan thought would leave her humiliated and hurt beyond repair.

It was beautiful the way Rafe woos Shaan after their marriage in the city of Hong Kong which the author describes quite well, making the reader feel as if they are visiting the  busy and chaotic city themselves.

Anyone who loves a good romance with a strong, sexy and compelling hero with a heroine who doesn’t simper and grate on your nerves all the way through, this is a good read!

Purchase Links: Amazon | BooksOnBoard

outstandingread

 

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Sunset Embrace by Sandra Brown

Format: Paperbacksunsetemrbace
Read with: Paperback
Length: Novel
Genre: American Western
Series: Coleman Family Saga, Book 1
Publisher: Warner Books
Hero: Ross Coleman
Heroine: Lydia Bryant
Date of Publication: June 1, 1990
Started On: December 17, 2009
Finished On: December 18, 2009
Re-read on: May 2011

This romance is of the American West time period and is romance at its best. With great characters and an intense plot to keep things going, I loved every bit of this delectable novel by Sandra Brown. I feel almost sorry since she has shifted her focus on writing more stories of thriller/romance genre rather than focusing on romance alone after reading this book.

Lydia Langston is found  at the brink of death after giving birth to a dead infant boy, borne out of forced relations with her stepbrother. The family of the boys who find her take her in and nurse her back to health. Amidst the travelers who are on their way to Texas to start their lives anew are Ross Coleman and his wife Victoria. Victoria dies during childbirth rendering Ross a widow with his son Lee who refuses the many attempts to be fed. Ma Langston, the woman who nurses Lydia back to health, convinces Ross to let Lydia wet nurse his son. From the moment Ross lays his eyes on Lydia passion flares between the two which Ross tamps down viciously, with no intention of ever succumbing to a woman whom he thinks of as a loose woman.

Circumstances pit these two together, Lydia who vows that she would never bow down to any man after the years of constant sexual abuse she faced from her stepbrother whom she thinks she murdered in her last attempt to escape, and Ross who vows that no woman would ever take the place of Victoria who bestowed upon him the favor of bringing him into the circle of the elite and genteel society.

Things take an interesting turn with the law enforcement officials after Ross and Lydia’s stepbrother after her to teach her a lesson she would never forget. Both Lydia and Ross find themselves slave to what they arouse in each other, and ultimately learn to trust and love one another on the journey filled with perils and danger they never saw coming.

This is one of the best romances I have read recently and although the book is quite thick its no effort to read through as the intense plot and characters make you feel as if  you are part of the story. And oh yes, I have got to order a Ross Coleman for myself! Sigh!!

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble | AbeBooks | Half.com

outstandingread

 

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Condition of Marriage by Emilie Rose

Format: E-bookconditionofmarriage
Read with: Stanza
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Dynasties: The Ashtons, Book 9
Publisher: Silhouette 
Hero: Jared Maxwell
Heroine: Mercedes Ashton
Date of Publication: September 1, 2005
Started On: November 21, 2009
Finished On: November 22, 2009

This I think is the first multi-author series that I have ever tried and the first book by this author that I have ever read. This was a really beautiful love story and of course, it didn’t hurt that this romance was that of my favorite theme, where best of friends find true love with one another.

The Ashton family’s history explained in snatches here and there throughout the novel is focused on Ashley’s father Spencer Ashton who is this huge multi-millionaire who is portrayed as a man who never cared for anyone but himself. He has children from three ‘wives’, only one of them to whom he was actually legally married to and never divorced from, rendering his other two marriages unlawful and thus the children classified as bastards in the society. This whole series revolves around his mysterious murder, and how children from all his three wives come to terms with the legacy that their father had left them with, together with on how each find everlasting love with their meant to be’s.

Mercedes and Jared’s story is the ninth book of the series. Mercedes and Jared has been the best of friends ever since Chloe, Jared’s wife and Mercedes’s best friend since college died of a car crash together with the baby Jared and Chloe were about to have. Their story begins when Mercedes finds out she is pregnant with the father of the baby (Craig) wanting nothing more from her than an abortion to get rid of the baby.

Jared has his own demons to fight on top of the forbidden bouts of desire he starts to feel for Mercedes all of a sudden. Mercedes battles with the same desire, blaming them on her over zealous pregnant hormones. Craig all of a sudden comes back into Mercedes’s life, demands that she marry him so that he can reap off the millions that Mercedes might supposedly inherit from her father’s assets. Jared offers a way out by offering to marry Mercedes, and the moving journey that takes place after their marriage made for a really wonderful read.

I do not know whether all the other stories in the series are as good as this one, but I have got the mind to try them out since this is one of the most beautiful love stories that I have read in a long time. Truly satisfying read and of course Mr. Hotness himself didn’t make it any harder to fall in love with this story.

Purchase Links: Amazon

outstandingread

 

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Cry No More by Linda Howard

Cry no More

Format: E-book
Read with: Stanza
Length: Novel
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Series: Standalone
Publisher: Piatkus
Hero: James Alejandro Xavier Diaz
Heroine: Milla Edge
Date of Publication: November 4, 2003
Started On: November 9, 2009
Finished On: November 12, 2009

This powerful story by Linda Howard is one of her most outstanding pieces of work. Both Milla and James are two wonderful characters and their story is one I guarantee that no one can really put down without seeing it through.

The story starts with Milla married to Dr. David Boone, a surgeon who with a group of other doctors opens up a free clinic in Mexico for a year. Milla gives birth to their son Justin whilst in Mexico, who is snatched away from Milla whilst she is left bleeding to death from the attack. In the midst of it all, Milla however manages to leave her mark on one of her attackers, finding the man with the scar becoming her life goal once she recovers enough to look for her son.

Ten years on, divorced from David, Milla runs an organization known as Finders that deploy volunteers who help in missing children/adult cases.Through all that time, Milla has never once given up hope that one day she would find her son and her resolve to do this finally leads her to James Diaz, whom at first Milla thinks to be involved with the kidnapping of Justin.

To Milla’s surprise, James turns out to be the only one who can find the answers to all the questions Milla has been asking all those years. What Milla doesn’t know is that it is those that she is closest to who have ulterior motives, who do not want her to find out the truth related to the disappearance of her son. And once Milla does find Justin, the sheer act of bravery that she performs would forever be etched onto my heart because I do not know of anyone who could have done what she did for her son.

Cry No More is a book that has found a permanent place on my favorites and keepers shelf. Whenever I need myself a Linda Howard fix, which is often, I find myself craving some James Diaz for some reason and I always end up either skimming through the delicious parts or just re-reading the whole thing all over again. Cry No More is a book that deals with a heartbreaking issue, the raw pain that Milla goes through towards the end just reaches something deep inside of you until you are ready to howl from the sheer agony of it all.

And through the stormy days that follows, James proves his unwavering love for a woman whom he considers his in every way. The way he completely takes care of Milla’s every single need makes you want to lay yourself down somewhere and offer yourself to James to do as he pleases. He is the strong, silent and lethal warrior type of hero who would have zero qualms about killing when it comes to protecting the ones he loves. His utter focus and the dangerous vibe that always surrounds him is what draws me to his character every.single.time. that I read this book. And I am sure I would keep coming back for more of him in the near & foreseeable future!

If I could give this book more than 5-stars, I definitely would. Because Cry No More is a jewel of a novel, that indeed deserves high praise for  the masterpiece that Linda Howard seems to have spun with this one. Very highly recommended!

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble

by mvbookreviewer

Review: The Mercenary by Cherry Adair

Format: E-bookmercer
Read with: Stanza
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: T-FLAC, Book 1
Publisher: Harlequin
Hero: Marc Savin
Heroine: Victoria Jones
Date of Publication: February 1, 2008
Started On:  November 2, 2009
Finished On: November 7, 2009

This was my favorite kind of romance novel. Throw in a strong alpha hero, a heroine who doesn’t get on the reader’s nerves and a bunch of bad guys who could just topple everything over for the blossoming romance between the hero and heroine, I would say that makes for a pretty good read.

Previously I have read other books in this author’s T-FLAC series and I would have to say this would have to be one of the best novels in the series. Victoria Jones leads a spinsterish life when her twin brother Alex, who is a T-FLAC agent goes missing during a mission and is declared dead by the T-FLAC organization.

Marc Savin, who brought Alex into the organization, trained him and was his partner for a couple of years, now lives a secluded life on a ranch looking after horses in Mexico. Betrayed by the woman he loved once who turned out to be working for one of the terrorist organizations that they were investigating, Marc doesn’t trust any woman to get close to him.

Victoria and Alex share a telepathic bond which allows her to know that her brother is not dead, but being held captive by one of the terrorist organizations that the T-FLAC was investigating, and seeks Marc’s help to bring her brother back to safety. Astounded at first to know that Alex even has a twin, and reluctant to believe anything Victoria was saying, Marc decides to drag Victoria along to find Alex and bring him back home.

Hiding in a cave in an island controlled by terrorists, Marc finds that he is not immune at all to the lady by his side. The romance and the exciting adventure that unfolds makes for a great read. Of course, happy endings always makes a book worth reading especially when a hero has to grovel his way back into the heroine’s graces, which is hard to come across in novels these days.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to readers who love a good romance novel with a bit of adventure tossed right into it.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble

outstandingread

 

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Betting Hearts By Dee Tenorio

Format: E-bookBetting Hearts
Read with: Stanza
Length: Novel
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Series: Rancho Del Sielo, Book 1
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Hero: Burke Halifax
Heroine: Cassandra Bishop
Date of Publication: June 6, 2006
Started On:  October 30, 2009
Finished On: November 1, 2009

This was my favorite kind of romance novel since its a swell story of two best friends turning into lovers. Cass and Burke have been best of friends since they were in their early childhood. Although neither Cass nor Burke has ever professed to have underlying romantic feelings for one another, Cass and Burke has always known they could count on one another with their lives.

This delectable story starts when Cass runs into  her ex-fiance’  Luke who broke up with her through a letter professing that she wasn’t woman enough for him and that he was actually gay and left town, turns up with a fiance’ in tow, who turns out to be a pretty blond.

Somehow, Cass ends up breaking Luke’s nose, and Luke in turn plans to hold the wedding in their hometown, and just somehow Cass ends up with a bet that Cass could turn on her feminine wiles and become the woman that Luke never saw underneath her tough-as-nails exterior. Burke unwillingly helps along this scheme, whilst the whole town watches for the sparks that fly between Burke and Cass, all the time wondering when they would succumb to the chemistry which is so obvious to everyone else but the couple-to-be in question.

I would have to say that I enjoyed this novel a LOT. It was a refreshing change to see all issues tackled with a lot of humor and the dialogue between all characters are pretty fun and made me want to laugh out loud several times. I recommend this novel to anyone who loves a good bout of romance with a sexy hero to die for and a heroine who gives as good as she gets with humor to keep the ride through their story a memorable one!

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes&Noble

outstandingread

 

by mvbookreviewer

Review: Morning Glory by LaVyrle Spencer

Format: E-bookMorning Glory
Read with: Stanza
Length: Novel
Genre: Historical Romance
Series: Standalone
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
Hero: Will
Heroine: Elly
Date of Publication: January 1, 1991
Started On:  October 29, 2009
Finished On: October 30, 2009

The first book that I ever read from this author and it proved to be a real satisfying read. The story takes place during the World War II period in the US. Elly was labeled as the crazy one and the town folk didn’t care much for her. Her husband dead, with two kids and one more on the way, she advertises for a husband in the local newspaper.

Will was a drifter who walked into the town looking for a job, after serving time for murder. Answering the ad for a husband, Will never thought that his life would forever be changed by Elly and her children, who give Will something to live for in life.

This story is really sweet, because you can feel both characters develop throughout the novel. Both Elly and Will had given up hope that they would one day be loved by someone like the love described in the novel. The novel was a refreshing change because there were no silly problems that went unresolved because the hero and heroine couldn’t bear to talk honestly with one another. All in all, a real good romance novel, packed with a whole lot of emotions that romance lovers would find themselves reading this book in one go.

Purchase Links: Amazon

outstandingread